Pony unsafe on roads after RTA, experiences welcome

[SusieT]

That is so tricky. This is probably going to take months of work - after all the pony has a reason to be scared validated and rubber stamped by the previous experience. I'd contemplate whether he is likely to be suitable for your job- it may be a different home with less road needs might be better in all honesty. I suspect you may be able to overcome it - but in months not weeks

 

[SadKen]

Some great answers above. I would put myself in the ‘wouldn’t try again’ camp, but I don’t hack on roads anyway as I deem it too dangerous.

I came here to say please, please, please sue the driver’s insurer, properly, with a good solicitor who understands the case. From what you’ve said it’s open and shut. Your daughter was obviously not in the wrong. Both daughter and pony have suffered and will continue to suffer as a result of the drivers actions. Your claim is likely highly significant in terms of value. The psychological damage to your daughter alone is extreme. Don’t minimise it, don’t allow the solicitor to minimise it, don’t allow the insurer to minimise it. Your horse is not fit for purpose as a result of this issue. It isn’t up to you to fix it, it’s up to the driver’s insurer to compensate and make good.

I’ve known several people who haven’t claimed or let it go for not much money due to the bother of the process, when their lives would have been immeasurably improved by the compensation they deserved. It’s what we all pay insurance for. It’s a matter of getting a tenacious solicitor and claiming for every possible thing you can, because after that experience, it’s deserved. If you don’t, the only winner is the driver’s insurer.

 

[tda]

Some good advice, like others have said, two weeks is nothing, and you definitely need at least one bombproof horse to help the rehab.
Personally I would forget the driving permanently, sorry. But with a previously sensible pony you have a really good chance of getting her ridden on the roads again.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Last Oct, our Dales mare was involved in a nasty road accident. Daughter had used neighbour's school, walking home quietly and hit from behind by a driver blinded by sunlight. Despite over 1/4 mile of straight road, she hadn't slowed or moved away from the kerb and hit pony at about 40 mph with her wing mirror. Reaction from horse caused rider to fall and she was dragged, their guardian angel must have been on double pay as neither sustained lasting physical injury. But the previously bombproof pony is now terrified of traffic behind or alongside her.
She was broken to drive last summer, did very well and went back to breaker before Christmas, his assessment is that she is now unsafe and if pushed too far would bolt.
We've now put her on full livery for 2 months, she's been there about 5 weeks, this yard has a back gate direct onto bridleway and front gate onto residential road. This is a nice wide road, dead end to traffic at the top and used by residents and dog walkers, all used to meeting horses, also wide verge and driveways as refuges. Pony improved a lot for about 3 weeks but has now plateaued, she remains very anxious about vehicles behind or overtaking, fine with parked or oncoming traffic. I think she's probably only tolerating this as she trusts my daughter.
Anyone got a horse through this? Time not an issue but can't afford full livery after this trial, when she comes home anything she does means going out of my yard onto a narrow road with no pull in places. I don't think she'll ever drive again but really hope we can get her riding out.
Tx in advance, sorry it's a long post.

Once they bolt in a carriage they will do it again.

So sad you gone through this, the pony might not get confident, don't want to dampen it but she may not. Horrific accident by stupid motorist. Reminds me of the one a year or so go where the courier drove into horses and killed both, said blinded by sun.... WELL!!!!! slow down would be the sensible thing not continue at same speed.


Pour poor daughter and pony.

 

[millikins]

Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and encouragement. I must just point out that she's been at livery for 5 weeks out of 8 booked, she improved a lot for first 3 but has not progressed for the last 2. Daughter took her to a different quiet road with a wide verge today, said she was very, very nervous again so not doing well at all
Daughter has the list of equine lawyers and will contact someone on it, now the driver has been penalised I feel safer paying solicitor before any payout. I hadn't realised but the no win no fee firm was the one recommended by the BHS, so far they haven't impressed and don't seem to have specialist equine knowledge. ATM we are looking at LOU I think sadly.
When I moved into my yard 15 years ago, there had been a gate in the top corner, I fenced across it for security reasons but I will enquire if I could claim to have it reinstated, I imagine a secure gate must be a couple of thousand and I might have to get the council to agree but it would remove all roadwork, they'd only have to cross the road with about 12 ft pavement and verge to wait on.

 

[millikins]

Once they bolt in a carriage they will do it again.

So sad you gone through this, the pony might not get confident, don't want to dampen it but she may not. Horrific accident by stupid motorist. Reminds me of the one a year or so go where the courier drove into horses and killed both, said blinded by sun.... WELL!!!!! slow down would be the sensible thing not continue at same speed.


Pour poor daughter and pony.

She was hit when ridden CP, but had been broken to drive earlier in the Summer and was fantastic. But out of the question now.

The driver was within the speed limit, 40 mph but if she couldn't see she should have slowed down, the road there is also plenty wide enough to move towards the white lines just in case there was a cyclist or horse rider. Really no excuse.

 

[limestonelil]

Within speed limit maybe, but not an appropriate speed for prevailing conditions. As said, she couldn't see. The outcome for your family could have been so very much worse.

I knew a lovely Welsh D who ended up in a ditch with cart still attached after RTA. He recovered fully physically, but was just not reliable mentally, accident blew his brain basically, not his fault poor chap.
It's obvious that you want this pony to come right, and perhaps it will.
SadKens post upthread is very practical.

 

[Ddraig_wen]

I have a pony who was involved in an RTA whilst driving as a pair, she is ok with traffic on a showground but on the road she's nervy and will try and hide behind me. You can see she's worried but she trusts me so she's never bolted. I believe she bolted under saddle with previous owners. She's child sized and although she's great on grass or surface she's very worried on tarmac. She hasn't exploded with us but she hasn't been pushed far enough to make her.

I rode another pony who'd had a more than one driving accident. It took a few years but eventually I could hack him alone on quiet roads. His first few times on the road he was dripping in sweat but we got to the point he would happily go out ears pricked. The only issue was he had an invisible trip switch.
He went up and over once with no warning or visible trigger, another time a trailer went passed on the road when we were at the top of the drive and he threw himself sideways into a five bar gate and his brain fell out. Sadly this behaviour extended to his school work and his owner appeared on the yard one day with a broken collar bone, saddle scraped to hell and the pony a gibbering wreck. Sometimes he could go for years without an explosion and you didn't know what would trigger it. He was sold on by his owners as suitable for a novice in the school and I didn't hear anything of him afterwards. I hope he hasn't injured anyone

 

[Tarragon]

Gosh, all these horrible stories! I do have a driving pony, so I can play back some of these accidents in my head and it is horrific!
Sorry to hear about the accident, OP, it must have been awful for you all and poor pony.
I think that I would find an alternative life for them where they are not expected to cope with traffic.

 

[limestonelil]

Ddraig_wen, you came up with the exact phrase a lot of posters are getting at, "the invisible trip switch " For me that sums up situations like this.

 

[indie1282]

I had similar to this but we was hit with the car coming towards me. I fell off and luckily my horse was ok after being checked out when we got back to the yard.
I hacked out the next day with another traffic proof horse and although it was a bit dicey we got back to going out on our own although he didn’t like cars coming towards us.

To cut a long story short I was out one day and a motorbike came over the hill and passed us ( In company ) at about 40mph despite me waving him down frantically and my horse freaked out and was scared so I decided to call it a day hacking out as I just didn’t want him to get upset and frightened.

Sadly I don’t trust cars and other road users anymore to slow down and drive responsibly. For every decent driver there are always the idiots.

 

[onemoretime]

You need to get the advice of a specialist Equine Solicitor and below are the names and contact details of some.

Helen Niebuhr
Darbys Solicitors
52 New Inn Hall Street
Oxford
OX1 2QD
Tel: 01865 811 7000
01865 811712
Fax: 01865 811 777
www.equine-law.net
E: equine@darbys.co.uk

Jaqcui Fulton Equine Law
Tel: 0121 308 5915
jf@equinelawuk.co.uk
www.equinelawuk.co.uk

Hannah Campbell
Tel: 01446 794196
www.horsesolicitor.co.uk
info@horse solicitor

Alexandra Agnew
Mischcon de Reya
Africa House
70 Kingsway
London
WC2B 6AH
Tel: 020 3321 7000

Jacqui Dark (Nee Fulton)
Equine Law Firm
The office
Home Farm Cottage
Kiddington
Oxfordshire
OX20 1BY
Tel: 0121 308 3132
E: jd@equinelawuk.co.uk

Deborah Hargreaves
Edmondson Hall Solicitors and Sports Lawyers
25 Exeter Road
Newmarket
Suffolk
CB8 8AR
Tel: 01638 560556
Tel: 01638 564483
E: solicitors@edmondsonhall.com
E: ah@edmondsonhall.com
www.edmondsonhall.com/page/1r6ef/Home/partner.html

Elizabeth Simpson Senior Solicitor at law firm Andrew M Jackson
Tel: 01482 325242
www.andrewjackson.co.uk
enquiries@andrewjackson.co.uk

David Forbes or Belinda Walkinshaw
Pickworths Solicitors
6 Victoria Street
St Albans
Hertfordshire
AL1 3JB
01727 844511

Mark de-villamar Roberts
Langleys Solicitors Equine Law Group
Tel: 01904 683051
E: mark.Roberts@langleys.com
www.equinelawyers.co.uk

Elizabeth Simpson
Senior Solicitor
Andrew Jackson
Yorkshire
Tel: 01482 325242
www.andrewjackson.co.uk

Richmond Solicitors
13-15 High Street
Keynsham
Bristol
BS31 1DP
Tel: 0117 986 9555
Fax: 0117 986 8680
enquiries@richmonssolicitorsco.uk

Jacqui Fulton
Giselle Robinson Solicitors

Inderjit Gill
Jacksons Specialist Equine Solicitor

Knights Solicitors
Tunbridge Wells
Tel: 01892 537311
www.knights-solicitors.co.uk

Horse Solicitor
Tel: 01446 794 196
info@horsesolicitor.co.uk
www.horsesolicitor.com

Hannah Bradley
Setfords
74 North Street
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 4AW
Tel: 020 3829 5557
E: info@setfords.co.uk

Mary Ann Reay Charles or Chris Shaw
Shaw and Co Solicitors
Equine Law Specialists
Tel: 0800 019 1248
info@shawandco.com
www.shawandco.com

Agree with this. That driver has knocked a considerable amount off the value of your pony as she could never be sold as "good in traffic". You need to go to town on this driver.